Welcome.
The name is Simon but you can call me ‘Si’.
Thanks so much for stopping by. Please consider my application to Automattic for the Technical Account Manager (TAM) for Newspack role.
I look forward to hearing from you!
My recent WordPress experience
I have used WordPress to build just about every type of website imaginable, including:
Not-for-profit
A website for a charity I volunteer for: latafoundation.org

Functionality includes: gifting plugins, donation embeds
Membership
The current UK travel magazine of the year: jrnymag.com

Functionality includes: membership, interactive video
Awards
World-leading photography competition: tpoty.com

Functionality includes: competitions, entry management
Portfolios
Hobbies and side hustles such as woodworking: nocowo.co

Functionality includes: galleries, animations
International media
Most-read travel news publisher: traveldailymedia.com

Functionality includes: events, partner content
Local news
Most importantly for Newspack: moretoninmarsh.com

Functionality includes: custom-built quiz plugin
Profile
12+ years of experience in journalism, consumer tech, and building websites with WordPress. Fluent in French.
Proficient in SEO, marketing, content and e-commerce. Proven success driving user acquisition, RoAS and LTV.
A Masters in Engineering graduate, I turned my technical skills instead to data-driven content creation, digital analytics and website development.
Tools I use
Analytics
Google Analytics, Ahrefs, Semrush, Tableau
CMS/CRM
WordPress, GitHub, MailChimp, HubSpot
Development
PHP, HTML, CSS
Ads/Comms
Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, Slack, Zoom
Questions for Automattic
- What is the single biggest pain point for the Newspack product at the moment? How could I best prepare myself to address this for you?
- Are there any skills I seem to be lacking that I can work on?
- If you hired me as Technical Account Manager for Newspack, what would the hierarchy of people around me look like? Who would be my manager and who would be my peers?
- Sometimes, when all staff members work remotely, it’s easy for teams to become siloed. How does Automattic prevent this?
- What is on the Newspack development roadmap for the next 12 months?
Headline achievements
Sub-editor and head of digital, JRNY Travel Magazine
- Redesigned WordPress website, now at 100k monthly views
- Implemented membership platform for monetisation
Head of content, Memberful/Patreon (memberful.com)
- 30x increase in readership of blog about WordPress/membership
- Revamped content using GitHub and Ahrefs
Editorial director, TD (traveldailymedia.com)
- Quadrupled WordPress website readership in 12 months
- Reached 1,000,000 monthly visits
Cofounder, Imperial Beer Club (imperialbeerclub.com)
- Co-founded company as head of marketing
- Company acquired by Ales by Mail in November 2017
Head of content, Lion & Lion (lionandlion.com)
- Created content for clients such as IKEA, AirAsia and L’Oréal
- Managed a team of seven
Senior content manager, Groupon (groupon.co.uk)
- Established procedure for rapid-growth startup
- Led the department of 12 staff

My professional experience
Head of content, Memberful (memberful.com)
Sep 2022 – April 2025, remote
Head of digital, JRNY Travel Magazine (jrnymag.com)
Feb 2022 – present, remote
Digital manager, Bradt Travel Guides (bradtguides.com)
Sep 2019 – Sep 2022, London
Chairman, British Guild of Travel Writers (bgtw.org)
Feb 2019 – Feb 2020, London
Editorial director / Native content editor, TD (traveldailymedia.com)
Jan 2018 – July 2019, Bangkok
Author, Frommer’s (frommers.com) and Rough Guides (roughguides.com)
Jan 2018 – Apr 2018, HQ in New York and
Apr 2014 – Jan 2018, HQ in London
Cofounder, Imperial Beer Club (imperialbeerclub.com)
Jan 2017 – Dec 2017, London
Commissioning editor, TEG Digital (tegmedia.my)
Jan 2016 – Jan 2017, Kuala Lumpur
Head of content, Lion & Lion (lionandlion.com)
Jan 2014 – Jun 2015, Kuala Lumpur
Senior content manager, Groupon (groupon.co.uk)
Nov 2010 – Dec 2013, London